Gaming Guru

Keeping in Touch with Las Vegas for Free

Even though Chicago-area residents have plenty of casino gambling
opportunities in their own backyard, there still is nothing quite like
Las Vegas.

Long before the riverboats took up residence on Midwest waterways, a
trip to Vegas or Atlantic City was the only way to experience slot
machine and table game action.

The expansion of gambling across the United States during the last
decade hasn't caused travel and tourism in Las Vegas to wane. On the
contrary, it has helped to expand the casino gambling fan base and
create new interest in the Gambling Capital of the World.

If you catch a good airfare and hotel package, a trip to Vegas can be
relatively inexpensive when compared to other fun and sun vacation
options. Once you're there you can take advantage of some great dining
bargains. All it takes to make it completely affordable is sound money
management when gambling, or, better yet, a jackpot to pay for the whole
trip!

One good way to get all you can out of your Las Vegas vacation and to
take advantage of the best deals while you're there is to do your
homework ahead of time instead of ""cramming"" in your hotel room.

I’ve discovered a great, free, online resource for Las Vegas travelers
that will provide invaluable information for anyone planning a trip and
wanting to know the best dining and entertainment deals, package plans,
rental car bargains, show tickets, and much more.

It’s the ""Viva Las Vegas Newsletter"" published by Las Vegas travel and
entertainment authority Bill Mandel. You can have this weekly newsletter
and list of coupons e-mailed to you free of charge just by logging on to www.billhere.com and filling out the subscription form.

With more than 280,000 weekly readers, the Viva Las Vegas Newsletter has
the largest circulation of any publication aimed at tourists coming to
Las Vegas.

In a recent edition of the newsletter, for example, you’ll find a link
to some low prices on charters to Las Vegas including air and three or
four night hotel accommodations. There’s also a link for the best room
deals in over 70 Las Vegas hotels plus news and updates from the
properties, a link for car rental deals, and a link for show tickets.

The Viva Las Vegas Newsletter also enlightens travelers with sound
advice and information. A three-part series on ""Tipping Fully Explained
with Secrets Revealed"" (who, when, and how much) was particularly
helpful. The basic advice was to tip in places where you’ve never tipped
before. Reduce tips for unsatisfactory service, be generous for
extraordinary service.

Here are the guidelines for tipping casino personnel for hand paid
jackpots at the slot and video poker machines:

Hand Paid Jackpot

Tip

$200

to

$500

$5

$501

to

$1,000

$10

$1,001

to

$1,500

$20

$1,501

to

$2,000

$30

$2,001

to

$2,500

$35

$2,501

to

$4,000

$40

The tip, it is recommended, should be spread around to the however
number of employees who assist in the hand paid jackpot. If the tip is
$20 and two workers assist you, then give $10 to each of them.

Or how about this advice for taxicabs riders: ""Make sure you tell the
driver NOT to take the tunnel if you are checking into a hotel in the
Tropicana/Las Vegas Blvd. Area. NEVER ask a taxi driver for advice,
since some businesses pay them a commission for bringing in customers.
This practice called 'diversion' is very prevalent among Las Vegas taxi
drivers and the Las Vegas Taxicab Authority has been unable to stop it.""

Being the smartest, best informed traveler you can be goes hand in hand
with being the smartest, best informed gambler you can be to getting the
most out of your Las Vegas vacation.

This article is provided by the Frank Scoblete Network. Melissa A. Kaplan is the network's managing editor. If you would like to use this article on your website, please contact Casino City Press, the exclusive web syndication outlet for the Frank Scoblete Network. To contact Frank, please e-mail him at fscobe@optonline.net.

John G. Brokopp's gaming column appears in Chicago Sun Times (Chicago, Illinois), The Times (Northwest Indiana), The Quad City Times (Davenport, Iowa), The Courier News (Elgin, Illinois), The Gazette (Southwest Suburban Chicago) and Senior Wire (Denver, CO). He's also a regular contributor to The Colorado Gambler, Midwest Gaming & Travel, Casino Player and Strictly Slots. John possesses 28 years of experience as a professional handicapper, publicist, freelance writer, and casino gaming correspondent. He is also the author of two very popular books, The Insider’s Guide to Internet Gambling and Thrifty Gambling.

Books by John G. Brokopp:

John G. Brokopp's gaming column appears in Chicago Sun Times (Chicago, Illinois), The Times (Northwest Indiana), The Quad City Times (Davenport, Iowa), The Courier News (Elgin, Illinois), The Gazette (Southwest Suburban Chicago) and Senior Wire (Denver, CO). He's also a regular contributor to The Colorado Gambler, Midwest Gaming & Travel, Casino Player and Strictly Slots. John possesses 28 years of experience as a professional handicapper, publicist, freelance writer, and casino gaming correspondent. He is also the author of two very popular books, The Insider’s Guide to Internet Gambling and Thrifty Gambling.

Books by John G. Brokopp:

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